


In Search for a Name

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Character Death, Character Study, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Names, Soul-Searching
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Yuri passes away, he left his history behind. Byleth intends to uncover it on his own.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 13





	In Search for a Name

**Author's Note:**

> my first (and possibly only) contribution to the FE fandom and the premise is depressing as fuck. sorry.

The hardest part of war had always been dealing with the aftermath of the fallen. Family had to have been informed. Friends needed time to grieve. A funeral had to be decided. And, of course, their personal belongings needed to go to their rightful inheritors.

No matter how many times Byleth went through the same cycle, it never got any easier. Every time felt like a stab in the heart―as if Jeralt had died right in front of him all over again―and Byleth was only thankful that he already was cursed with a stoic face. He would rather take a thousand beatings from Demon Beasts than see the distraught faces of loved ones.

Especially when said victim was someone he knew very well. Someone he loved and cherished deeply.

Seeing Yuri die right before his eyes was the second time Byleth finally shed tears. The man Byleth wanted to protect most, after his father, was gone. In a cruel irony, Yuri died protecting _him_ instead.

Byleth wished he could just reverse time to save him. He would gladly have pushed Yuri away, allowing him to take the hit instead. But, at that point, his power was spent completely, so there was nothing he could do but watch helplessly—yet again.

There was no turning back now. He had to face the music, and confront the remains of his loved one directly.

Except, he had no idea where to start.

When Yuri died, he took his past with him, into the abyss. Almost no kin was left to contact, except his mother, already bedridden and would probably break if she heard the news. His Crest of Aubin was truly one of a kind, and with no children, also perished into obscurity.

Even his belongings were very little. As Byleth searched around Yuri’s room in the Abyss, he found hardly anything personal. His drawer only contained clothes and, of course, his favorite makeup kits. The other parchments he found were merely orders for his grunts, or messengers from the surface.

All except that notebook.

Byleth took a seat on the bed, flipping it open. The first few pages seemed to be standard sentences with sloppy handwriting, but the more he turned, the more elegant and pretty it was. The only difference then was that instead of basic, random text, it just detailed hundreds and hundreds of names.

He faintly recalled Yuri telling him of its meaning: it was his way of honoring those fallen, by writing their names down, so he would never forget the sacrifices made to get where he was.

He also remembered Yuri saying, in his own teasing, fanciful way that Byleth always loved about him, how he would write Byleth’s name, should it ever come to him dying.

Byleth had said, “Same to you.”

Yuri merely laughed, and claimed that he fell under a lucky star.

_Why then, Byleth cursed in his mind, did the goddess lie!_

Now, with him gone, there were no names to write left. The notebook would remain incomplete for eternity.

It didn't felt right to close the chapter like that, though. Not without honoring one last person.

Byleth retrieved a quill pen stashed in his coat pocket, and readied it with ink. Its tip felt at the paper, almost about to stroke―

Except, he then realized: he had nothing to go on.

If Byleth simply just put Yuri’s “name”, he would only be representing the mask Yuri wore presently. The Yuri Leclerc who ran Abyss, became his lover, and had a more stabilized life. But, doing so, he would be ignoring the hardships little Yuri went through, the boy who learned to love life after a near-death experience, the innocence he maintained until reality cruelly defiled it.

The only issue was, he never knew what that name was. Yuri had promised one evening that he would eventually tell him his true name. He died before he could even utter a syllable.

Byleth didn't want to give up though. He closed the notebook, and put it away, for safekeeping. He rose up to his feet, fully resolved.

If Yuri could not tell Byleth his name anymore... then, it was up to Byleth to find that out on his own.

One last request, for the man he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> dw future chapters will have dialogue, it's just Byleth by himself now and he barely talks enough as it is lol


End file.
